White House kicks scandal investigator upstairs
Sun Jan 29, 2006 19:46
January 28, 2006
White House kicks scandal investigator upstairs
By Tim Reid
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2013558,00.html
Outraged Democratas are calling for a special prosecutor to take over the Abramoff case
DEMOCRATS accused the White House yesterday of tampering with the investigation into the disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff after the prosecutor in charge of the inquiry was offered a federal judgeship by President Bush.
In an appointment that the White House described as routine, Noel Hillman, in charge of unravelling the burgeoning bribery scandal on Capitol Hill that could ensnare dozens of Republican congressmen and their staff, will step down next week after accepting the offer of a judgeship in New Jersey.
A group of Democrats demanded that a special prosecutor take over the investigation. The furore comes a month after Mr Abramoff, once one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington, pleaded guilty to bribing politicians.
He is expected to co-operate with prosecutors and implicate up to half a dozen congressman, in a case managed for two years by Mr Hillman, who has intimate knowledge of its details.
The latest twist in the Abramoff case, a politically explosive issue ahead of November’s mid-term congressional elections, comes as Mr Bush faces mounting pressure to release at least six photographs of him meeting Mr Abramoff at White House parties and receptions.
Referring to Mr Hillman’s judgeship offer, George Miller, a Democrat congressman from California, said: “It looks like the White House has reached in and tampered with an ongoing investigation.” Calling the timing of the offer startling, he said: “You have one of the chief prosecutors removed from a case that has tentacles throughout the Republican leadership of Congress, throughout the various agencies and into the White House.”
Chuck Schumer and Ken Salazar, two Democrat senators, wrote to Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney-General, calling for a special prosecutor to take over to “ensure that the investigation and prosecution will proceed without fear or favour”. The White House said that Mr Bush was poised to nominate Mr Hillman last summer, but did not say why it was delayed until this week.
Scott McClellan, Mr Bush’s spokesman, said the calls for a special prosecutor were “pure politics”, adding that prosecutors at the Justice Department “are continuing to fully investigate” the Abramoff case.
Mr Bush continues to be dogged about the photographs. Mr McClellan conceded that Mr Abramoff, who lavished millions of dollars in campaign contributions on dozens of congressmen from both parties, had attended “staff-level” meetings in the Bush White House.
But he said that Mr Bush “does not recall meeting Abramoff”.
Democrats argue that the photographs were taken at taxpayers’ expense and that in 1997 Bill Clinton was forced to release videotapes of him meeting big donors at White House functions.
This month Mr Bush’s re-election campaign dumped $6,000 it had received from Mr Abramoff, his wife and clients, giving the money to charity.
Many other politicians have also given Abramoff-linked donations away. Asked on Thursday why he would not release the photographs, Mr Bush said: “I’ve had my picture taken with a lot of people. Having my picture taken with someone doesn’t mean that I’m a friend with them or know them well.
“I’m also mindful that we live in a world in which those pictures will be used for pure political purposes, and they’re not relevant to the investigation.”
Although there is no suggestion that Mr Bush had any improper dealings with Mr Abramoff, a report this month stated that Mr Abramoff displayed on his office desk at least five pictures of himself and Mr Bush.
He told people that when they met, the President talked about his childrens’ names and discussed personal details about their schooling.
========================
Abramoff Scandal The Ticking Time-Bomb
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/abramoff_scandal.htm
=======================
The people who pretend to "govern" in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are liars and impostors. The people who kill in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are terrorists and murderers. The people who tax in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are thieves and robbers. Similar considerations apply to other political systems around the world.
The concepts and words we use have consequences. Concepts can be "locks" that lock us into automatic unworkable thinking and behavior. Most humans cannot question their concepts. Some advanced humans can and do. The consequences of fraud-concepts, such as "country," "constitution," "government," "law," "nation," etc., include war, poverty, crime, pollution, and a host of other apparently intractable problems. Most humans cannot see this. So their "solution" is to "change the government," or to advocate "new laws," or to "smash the state." They remain stuck in the same old conceptual framework that is at the root of the problems. The results they have produced so far have been meager, to say the least. It remains to be seen whether a sufficient number of humans can break through the conceptual frameworks of current primitive human culture, in order to create new civilizations completely outside our current abominations. Terra Libra is such an attempt.
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/nature_gov.htm
http://www.odni.gov/
On assuming my responsibilities as Director of National Intelligence, I want to tell each of you how much I value your contributions to the safety and welfare of the American people. My goal, as I said in my Senate confirmation hearing, is to help you do your jobs better by ensuring that the intelligence community budget is well-spent, the intelligence community is working together as a team - military and civilian, abroad and at home - and our community-wide analysis is objective, timely, and relevant to the nation's needs.
WE ARE FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND WE ARE HERE TO SAVE YOU!!!
http://www.odni.gov/DNI.html
White House kicks scandal investigator upstairs
By Tim Reid
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2013558,00.html
Outraged Democratas are calling for a special prosecutor to take over the Abramoff case
DEMOCRATS accused the White House yesterday of tampering with the investigation into the disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff after the prosecutor in charge of the inquiry was offered a federal judgeship by President Bush.
In an appointment that the White House described as routine, Noel Hillman, in charge of unravelling the burgeoning bribery scandal on Capitol Hill that could ensnare dozens of Republican congressmen and their staff, will step down next week after accepting the offer of a judgeship in New Jersey.
A group of Democrats demanded that a special prosecutor take over the investigation. The furore comes a month after Mr Abramoff, once one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington, pleaded guilty to bribing politicians.
He is expected to co-operate with prosecutors and implicate up to half a dozen congressman, in a case managed for two years by Mr Hillman, who has intimate knowledge of its details.
The latest twist in the Abramoff case, a politically explosive issue ahead of November’s mid-term congressional elections, comes as Mr Bush faces mounting pressure to release at least six photographs of him meeting Mr Abramoff at White House parties and receptions.
Referring to Mr Hillman’s judgeship offer, George Miller, a Democrat congressman from California, said: “It looks like the White House has reached in and tampered with an ongoing investigation.” Calling the timing of the offer startling, he said: “You have one of the chief prosecutors removed from a case that has tentacles throughout the Republican leadership of Congress, throughout the various agencies and into the White House.”
Chuck Schumer and Ken Salazar, two Democrat senators, wrote to Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney-General, calling for a special prosecutor to take over to “ensure that the investigation and prosecution will proceed without fear or favour”. The White House said that Mr Bush was poised to nominate Mr Hillman last summer, but did not say why it was delayed until this week.
Scott McClellan, Mr Bush’s spokesman, said the calls for a special prosecutor were “pure politics”, adding that prosecutors at the Justice Department “are continuing to fully investigate” the Abramoff case.
Mr Bush continues to be dogged about the photographs. Mr McClellan conceded that Mr Abramoff, who lavished millions of dollars in campaign contributions on dozens of congressmen from both parties, had attended “staff-level” meetings in the Bush White House.
But he said that Mr Bush “does not recall meeting Abramoff”.
Democrats argue that the photographs were taken at taxpayers’ expense and that in 1997 Bill Clinton was forced to release videotapes of him meeting big donors at White House functions.
This month Mr Bush’s re-election campaign dumped $6,000 it had received from Mr Abramoff, his wife and clients, giving the money to charity.
Many other politicians have also given Abramoff-linked donations away. Asked on Thursday why he would not release the photographs, Mr Bush said: “I’ve had my picture taken with a lot of people. Having my picture taken with someone doesn’t mean that I’m a friend with them or know them well.
“I’m also mindful that we live in a world in which those pictures will be used for pure political purposes, and they’re not relevant to the investigation.”
Although there is no suggestion that Mr Bush had any improper dealings with Mr Abramoff, a report this month stated that Mr Abramoff displayed on his office desk at least five pictures of himself and Mr Bush.
He told people that when they met, the President talked about his childrens’ names and discussed personal details about their schooling.
========================
Abramoff Scandal The Ticking Time-Bomb
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/abramoff_scandal.htm
=======================
The people who pretend to "govern" in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are liars and impostors. The people who kill in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are terrorists and murderers. The people who tax in the name of the so-called "US Constitution" are thieves and robbers. Similar considerations apply to other political systems around the world.
The concepts and words we use have consequences. Concepts can be "locks" that lock us into automatic unworkable thinking and behavior. Most humans cannot question their concepts. Some advanced humans can and do. The consequences of fraud-concepts, such as "country," "constitution," "government," "law," "nation," etc., include war, poverty, crime, pollution, and a host of other apparently intractable problems. Most humans cannot see this. So their "solution" is to "change the government," or to advocate "new laws," or to "smash the state." They remain stuck in the same old conceptual framework that is at the root of the problems. The results they have produced so far have been meager, to say the least. It remains to be seen whether a sufficient number of humans can break through the conceptual frameworks of current primitive human culture, in order to create new civilizations completely outside our current abominations. Terra Libra is such an attempt.
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/nature_gov.htm
http://www.odni.gov/
On assuming my responsibilities as Director of National Intelligence, I want to tell each of you how much I value your contributions to the safety and welfare of the American people. My goal, as I said in my Senate confirmation hearing, is to help you do your jobs better by ensuring that the intelligence community budget is well-spent, the intelligence community is working together as a team - military and civilian, abroad and at home - and our community-wide analysis is objective, timely, and relevant to the nation's needs.
WE ARE FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND WE ARE HERE TO SAVE YOU!!!
http://www.odni.gov/DNI.html
- Colbert "Book Klub" Found Reading — Mon Jan 30 13:30
- APFN POGO RADIO YOUR WAY — Sun Jan 29 23:03
Message Board by American Patriot Friends Network [APFN]
